Disney has often been at the forefront of telling stories about women, with their princess movies being a Hollywood and home video stalwart since the release of Snow White in 1937.
But as with many modern film studios there has been a huge lack of women behind the scenes, but via The Hollywood Reporter,Disney and the UN’s Girl Up initiative is here to change that with a new project that will support 21 new young female filmmakers to make digital short films, each of which will each focus on a different radical woman.
The details about #DreamBigPrincess are still scarce, but we do know one of the films will be about newly announced Disney CCO Jennifer Lee, who also happens to be the Academy-Award winning creator behind Frozen; she wrote and directed the smash hit. Lee explained the drive behind the project in a statement: “Using the journeys of characters like Anna, Elsa and Moana to inspire kids to dream big is at the very heart of what all of us at Disney do. The #DreamBigPrincess series is the perfect extension of that vision, providing a powerful platform for the next generation of aspiring filmmakers to create content about the women who have inspired them.”
Products and mentoring for the project will be provided by Apple and female-led production company Summerjax! The filmmakers will be selected by Disney and Girls Up, and the films look to debut on social media in October. You can also get involved. As The Hollywood Reporter states, “Additionally for each like or share of a video or photo with #DreamBigPrincess on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, Disney Worldwide Services will donate $1 to Girl Up, with a minimum donation of $500,000 and a maximum donation of $1 million.” Disney and Girl Up previously joined forces on a #DreamBigPrincess photography project, that raised $1 million for Girl Up.
We think this sounds like a cool way of celebrating female filmmakers and some of the women that have inspired them and we can’t wait to see the shorts later this year! Will you be checking out #DreamBigPrincess?
Images: Disney
